Examining The Impact of Social Media Addiction on Social Anxiety Among University Students

This study aims to investigate the impact of social media addiction on social anxiety levels among university students. Designed as a correlational survey using quantitative data, the study involved 386 students from Harran University during the 2018–2019 academic year. Data were collected through a questionnaire, that included three instruments: a 9-item “Personal Information Form,” a 20-item “Social Media Addiction Scale–Adult Form,” and a 21-item “Social Anxiety Scale for Social Media Users.” The analysis revealed significant positive relationships between students' social media addiction and their corresponding dimensions of social anxiety. It was determined that social media addiction positively influences students' levels of social anxiety. Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that social media addiction affects specific types of anxiety: content anxiety (R² = 0.121), privacy anxiety (R² = 0.020), interaction anxiety (R² = 0.039), and self-evaluation anxiety (R² = 0.039). Keywords: Social Media, Addiction, Social Anxiety, University Students